If you ever need a new nose for your 1983 Mercedes 230E, Chtaura in the Bekaa Valley is the place to go. It’s full of workshops keeping Lebanon’s extraordinary range of 1970s and ‘80s European and American cars on the road. Yet, while this area looks like the last place you'd expect to
Anyone who has followed my wine writing, even casually, will know that obscurity is my passion. The weirder, the better. I recently, for example, wrote a book about a winemaking area of Pennsylvania that thrived in the 1800s. And about a year ago, here on PP, I covered my favorite
Rhone-style blend, strong on the Syrah, explodes on the nose with a blast of raspberry and crisp beef fat. Savory and juicy on the palate, raspberry, crisp fat, pencil lead, and thyme knit smoothly together. Firm tannins and bright acidity call for crispy pork belly. Highly Recommended. 91 points. DBH
The color is a beautiful, bright garnet. Aromas of earthy red fruit and leather come out on the nose. Black cherry, black raspberry, and dark chocolate lead on the palate, with leather and tobacco on the mid-palate and tart fruit on the finish. This is a wine that calls for
The nose shows black currant and blackberries, with dust and tobacco leaf. On the palate, cherries and plums are huge, cigar box and graphite come out on the mid-palate. Tannins are firm, fine-grained and present throughout. Drink with leg of lamb. Recommended. 88 points. DBH WHO: Galil Mountain Winery WHAT:
The nose offers aromas of red fruits and roses. On the palate it is flat-out juicy, with the sensation of biting into cherries and plums and letting the juice run down your chin. Floral aromas come across on the palate as delicate highlights, while graphite and milk chocolate provide anchoring
There is nothing subtle about this big wine at all. Huge black fruits, dark chocolate, freshly-turned earth, seared beef fat, and eucalyptus make two big fists and punch their way out of the bottle and into your heart. It is rich, opulent, and powerful. It will pair beautifully with a